Fudgy Fatality: A Pumpkin Hollow Mystery, book 10 by Kathleen Suzette (good books for high schoolers .txt) 📗

“Hey.”

“Hey,” I said. I gave him a kiss. “What’s going on?”

He looked around. “Let’s step outside.”

I followed behind him as we made our way to the door and then outside. We leaned against his SUV and he sighed. “Wow, what a day.”

“A murder?” I whispered, glancing over my shoulder as people passed by on the sidewalk.

He nodded. “Looks like it.”

“Anyone we know?”

He hesitated. “Olivia Summers.”

I gasped. “I just talked to her last week at the grocery store. What happened?”

“There’s bruising and ligature marks on her neck. Looks like she was strangled.”

“How awful. And she was just laying out there on the sidewalk.” I shook my head. “She wasn’t there when the parade started. We’d have seen her if she was.”

He shook his head. “She definitely wasn’t there when we were lining up for the parade. We’re trying to figure out how much time there was between when we headed to the parade route and when the last float left the area, and then when we returned at the far end of the street. I’m figuring not more than forty-five minutes.”

I tried to remember. It had taken us a little over an hour to walk the entire parade route—longer than I had first thought it would. The parade route was ten blocks long, and we had gone at a very slow pace so there wouldn’t be any accidents with the kids darting out in front of the floats. The marching band had stopped to play a song in front of the judges, the junior high majorettes did their routine in front of them, and then there were the mounted riders that had done a routine on horseback. There were lots of stops and starts with the various entries.

“She was killed somewhere else and dumped then?” I asked. It only made sense. The killer didn’t have much time to leave her and killing her there when so many people were in the area, even if most of them were on the next block with their attention on the parade was still risky.

“I think so.” He took a deep breath. “I always liked Olivia. I was friends with her older sister in high school.”

I nodded. “She was nice. It’s a shame.”

He looked tired. I wrapped my arms around him and squeezed him.

He smiled. “I really need to get back to the station. I just took a break to pick up some lunch, and I wanted to stop by and say hello.”

“That’s a late lunch.” I looked up at him.

“It is. I’m starving. And I’ve got a murder to solve, so I better get back.” He gave me a kiss and rested his forehead on mine a moment.

“I guess I better let you go.”

He grinned. “I guess you better.”

After another moment, I did let him go, and I watched as he got into his car and pulled away from the curb. I waved and then headed back inside. The crowd was thinning out a little and Christy looked at me inquisitively.

I shook my head and we slipped into the kitchen, closing the door behind us. I filled her in on what Ethan had told me.

“That’s terrible,” Mom said from her place beside the stove.

“Wow,” Christy said. “That’s hard to believe. I just talked to Olivia a few weeks ago. He’s sure it’s murder?”

“Yeah, he’s sure. I think the killer may have dumped her body while we were walking the parade route.”

“That’s something,” she said thoughtfully. “I bet they waited until everyone’s attention was on the parade to do it.”

“That’s what I think.” I headed over and picked up a tray of chocolate fudge with walnuts to take out front. I hated that this had happened to someone as ice as Olivia. But Ethan would find the killer. I was sure of it.

Chapter Five

Olivia Summers had been a schoolmate, a year behind me and a year ahead of my sister. She had been a quiet girl with a pretty smile. I had taken science with her and we were lab partners for a quarter. Since we didn’t graduate the same year, we had a different circle of friends, and I had never socialized with her outside of school. When I graduated and went on to college, I forgot about her until I moved back to Pumpkin Hollow. She worked for a company that manufactured storage solutions—shelves, racks, and closet organizing systems. Her body was found in front of the office she worked at.

I knew Olivia’s parents because they had been in Pumpkin Hollow since before I was born. I stood on their doorstep now, plant and candy in hand. Olivia’s sister, Jane, came to the door. When she saw me on the step, she gave me a sad smile. “Hello, Mia.”

“Hi, Jane. I hope I’m not intruding, but I wanted to stop by and tell you how sorry I was to hear about Olivia.”

She nodded. “That’s kind of you. I appreciate it. Would you like to come in for a minute?”

“Yes, thanks,” I said and followed her into the living room. The room was bright, done in yellows and medium blue florals. She offered me a seat on the sofa, and I sat down. “I brought you a plant and some fudge. I’m so sorry.”

She took the plant and gift bag with the fudge mom had sent and set them on the coffee table. “Thank you. My parents are at the funeral home, making arrangements.” She sighed. “I just can’t believe she’s gone. It doesn’t seem real.”

“I can’t imagine how hard this must be.”

She looked at me, her eyes big. “I couldn’t go to the funeral home with my parents. I guess that’s being selfish, but I just couldn’t do it.” Her eyes teared up as she looked at me. “I keep wondering why